Three terrorists and an equal number of policemen were killed and seven others including a deputy superintendent of police injured in a fierce day-long gunfight in a remote forested area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Thursday, March 28. The encounter started around 8 am amid intensified operations led by Jammu and Kashmir Police against a recently infiltrated group of ultras believed to be members of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, the officials said.
However, it was not immediately clear whether it was the same group that had been evading an earlier cordon in Sanyal forest of Kathua region or another batch of infiltrated terrorists. The gunfight triggered intense firing and explosions, the officials said, as dozens of local youth were seen assisting the security forces to carry heavy weapons and ammunition deep inside a gorge.
The encounter, centred near Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh, involved a group of approximately five terrorists and an initial exchange of gunfire resulted in injuries to six policemen including the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) leading a search party, the officials said.
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They said that three terrorists were killed in the onslaught led by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and assisted by the Army and CRPF. Adding to the tension, five police personnel, including the SDPO, were reportedly trapped near the gunfight's location, adjacent to a rivulet concealed by dense foliage.
However, the SDPO -- a DSP rank officer -- was evacuated from the scene late this evening, while three of his personal security officers were found dead, official sources said, adding the fate of another missing policeman was not known immediately. The J&K Police has neither confirmed nor denied the death of the policemen, saying a clear picture will emerge once the parties reach the scene on Friday morning.
The bodies of the terrorists were also not retrieved so far as security forces halted the operation for the night. The operation will be resumed with the first light of the day on Friday as two more terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area. They are also presumed dead but their bodies could not be located by the drones.